Although Kaplan offers great online resources and test preparation materials, I've been extremely…read moredisappointed by how unreliable they have been with their in-person classes. I'm an elementary school teacher trying to transition out of the education system, and I learn best in a classroom setting. I specifically enrolled in Kaplan's in-person course, but my classes in Houston have been canceled twice, and both times I was given only last-minute notice. I planned my entire summer break around these classes so I could make the most of my vacation and prepare for my next career step. Instead, the repeated cancellations have completely disrupted those plans and delayed my progress. The only remaining in-person classes Kaplan offers conflict with my work schedule once the school year begins, leaving me with no real choice but to take the online course--a format that I know is not effective for the way I learn. This experience has been incredibly frustrating and has made me feel that Kaplan's in-person program is simply not reliable for students who are depending on it.

So, disclaimer: I've only taken the MCAT once. And I used Kaplan for my test preparation. Since I…read morealmost got my target score (yay!) I never had to retake it or use another prep service. However, a friend of mine used Princeton Review so we've compared often, and I've used their books sometimes. Kaplan is good for people who need experience in test-taking environments, but for the MCAT I don't think they shine in content or even the quality of their materials. Multiple books, the online system, etc. had typos, wrong answers, missing information. So I'll try to focus this review on the teachers and facilities. One teacher dropped our class after 3 visits because she was too busy. Another teacher told us he wishes he hadn't gone into medicine (he wanted to make money). Facilities- this center (next to Bally's) SUCKS. It's old, decrepit, and frankly for all the money we pay Kaplan they could at least move to a better office building. The elevators creak and groan so half the time you anticipate a sudden free fall whilst you review your chemistry flash cards. The temperature- ARCTIC COLD. Even when it was 30 degrees outside it was still freeeeezing inside. Upon complaining, the front desk said that they couldn't control the temperature, it was set for the whole building. The building would also randomly shake- perhaps people at Bally's were dropping the free weights? The bathrooms- always dirty, always out of toilet paper and paper towels. WTF?? Since the building is open until at least 10 pm the janitors should be there that long as well. But noooo, they only service during business hours (8-5 pm), but again that isn't Kaplan's business hours! Parking can be difficult from 4-6 because of the peak Bally's time. Props for it's close proximity to Antone's, mmm I'm craving a poboy right now...

EDIT: As expected, Neha deleted her response to my original review. I've attached a screenshot…read morebelow. Her actions are highly unprofessional and immature. She clearly doesn't have what to takes to work with students if she cannot even handle a negative review. A response to Neha: Just because someone doesn't like your services doesn't mean that they're a competitor. As with my "infrequent" Yelp activity (although I'd consider seven reviews fairly decent), I'd like to point out that many of your five-star reviewers have far fewer reviews than I have. Yelp even removed one of your raving reviews because it violated their Content Guidelines under conflicts of interest (i.e. it was fabricated by an employee or family member). I would be happy to forward you the email addressing it if you're inclined to respond with, "we are unsure where you read that". Frankly, your responses are embarrassing and childish. I sincerely hope that you treat your regular customers better.

For the price you are paying, the experience at College Shortcuts is truly not worth it. I did the…read moreMentorship/Research Project experience as well as the Application FastTrack. Speaking from the Mentorship/Research Project side, my mentor did not assist me at all with my project. My project was initially a website/program which revolved around the idea of mental health in adolescence. However, that program did not receive much success because my mentor did not help me on the publicity side. As a result, I ended up writing a research paper (on my own!) and got that published. To be clear, this research paper was solely created by me and had no assistance from the college shortcuts side. Now, I knew College Shortcuts would be a waste of time on the college preparation side, but my family and I chose to go through with the Application FastTrack Program (after my awful experience from the mentorship program) because of the ratings and how Neha portrayed that the program would look. When picking your colleges, they do not help you find schools which align with your profile. Specifically, if you are doing any extracurricular activities (or anything outside academics), they do not use those interests as your strengths in finding schools which best match you, or even schools which you have a great shot of getting into. Also, they made me write my essays before the official essay prompts came out. Now, this might have seemed like a good thing because of the practice. However, when the new essay prompts come out, they only go through the essay one time. So, you are left to check and edit the essays on your own. If you want to get another check, they charge per essay. If you feel that you are a good essay writer, you don't need this program because they don't really offer you anything. If you are not a strong essay writer, you can practice on your own or use free resources to help improve your writing. The only thing that they might be able to help you with is the steps to apply to college, but you can easily find those steps on Google for free. My family and I did talk to Neha about our complaints, but she would reword the phrases in a way which made the blame ultimately fall back on us. They took no responsibility for their lack of proper assistance in the college application process. I had to figure out how to apply on my own because College Shortcuts was not providing me with the information I needed to create a strong and successful application. Everything you need to apply to college is now on the internet. You really do not need to waste thousands of dollars on programs which will not benefit you in any way.

Sam was a good instructor. Even without completing the majority of the online homework and practice…read moreexams, I saw a 16 point score increase from my diagnostic exam to the September LSAT from solely attending the in-class course. I highly recommend this LSAT prep course.

I was definitely nervous before beginning this class but I have to admit that it was one of the…read morebest choices I made in preparing for the LSAT. Matt is an amazing tutor who truly does care about his students. He keeps the class alive and going and was constantly trying to keep us motivated. The course material was thorough and I can honestly say I felt pretty prepared going into my test. There is plenty of material to go over and multiple practice tests to benchmark where you are in the coursework. Give them a chance because it definitey worth your time and money too.

I called one afternoon totally flustered not knowing what to do. I talked to Audra and she calmed…read moreme and said everything would be OK. Literally within hours Bethany was standing at my front door. Thank you Rice Tutors but especially Thank you to Bethany Hammons for taking my daughter under your wing. Not only have you changed her perspective on math but you have lifted her confidence and made her realize she is capable of anything she puts her all into. Bethany helped her double her test scores in just weeks. She is patient,nurturing and a great listener. I LOVE Rice Tutors and Bethany Hammons. We wouldn't go anywhere else!

I got SAT tutoring from them and it unquestionably helped me. I would say that it boosted my SAT…read morescore by 50-100 points.

I had a phenomenal LSAT testing experience here. Everything was smooth, organized, and clearly…read morecommunicated. The staff were very attentive and kind throughout. Darian, the site manager, was especially welcoming and helpful with questions!

I have taken 2 exams here over the past 6 years. The staff today were super helpful, supportive and…read morewelcoming. The process of signing in is easy and straightforward. The chairs however are outdated (look 40yrs old) with most of them almost completely peeled. The amount of money ppl pay to come test daily they need to get it together time for an overdue upgrade.

I learned about Advantage Testing from my friend at work. I asked her for some tips to prepare for…read moregraduate school, and she recommended me to get a tutor at Advantage Testing for a kick-butt GRE score. The tutor that we both ended up having was Mark. He was really nice, smart, and had a knack of breaking down the information and making it easy to understand. Added plus, my scores and brain power are on the up-and-up in such a short amount of time! In addition, the office staff was very nice and courteous too! They put me at ease with all of the offered services and made sure everything will work out with my schedule. Note: Be prepared to budget $$$$ and give yourself plenty of time to take your final test and all of the practice tests. If I remember correctly, the tutoring company recommends 3-6 months of preparation with at least 10 (ten) scheduled practice tests. I did it in 6-weeks with 2 (two) practice tests. I don't know where they found these tutors, but they are geniuses. Super geniuses. Thanks for reading! P.S. My other friend said that he paid much more for his GMAT classes. So, in the end, I had a good deal with the 1-on-1 help.

From the owner: Private tutoring for high school, undergrad, and grad students. Prepare for SAT, ACT, AP, ISEE,…read moreSSAT, GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT. Admissions counseling for high school, college, and business, medical, and law school. Online and in person. For more than 35 years, Advantage Testing has provided the nation's finest private tutoring and test preparation service. Our approach is rooted in meaningful educational growth, not tricks or shortcuts. Your tutor will personalize your program to unlock your full potential and help you excel in every subject, test, essay, or assignment. As one parent notes: "My son after just his first session said, 'I learned more in that one session than in months at school!'"